The Books
by 93 Diagon Alley
Summary: James Potter attempts to lay back on his bed one day, and makes a startling discovery. The key to his future lies beneath him on the bed, in the form of seven thick books... Story adopted from AlaskaRae3, my own work starts with chapter 3
1. A Summer Discovery

_This chapter was written by AlaskaRae3. I claim no ownership over it, only the slight editing and formatting I might have done._

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**The Books  
**by: 93 Diagon Alley

**Chapter 1: A Summer Discovery**

James Potter. Wizard-in-training, student of Hogwarts, and prankster extraordinaire. Oh, and we can't forget 'future husband of Lily Evans' now, can we?

Well, it seems that one certain young lady doesn't see it as he did.

Lily Evans. Witch-in-training, also a student of Hogwarts, and extremely annoyed with one James Potter.

Said redhead slammed her front door with a bang. Being on a summer vacation wasn't all that...vacation-like...with Tuney around. Petunia was (unfortunately) Lily's only sister. Lily rubbed her forefingers against her temples, trying to escape the massive headache coming on. She walked along an empty road, looking ready to spit nails, when something flew in front of her. She jumped slightly, surprised at the sudden movement.

It was an owl. And not just any owl, but an owl that belonged to the most arrogant being ever to walk the planet. As soon as Lily had released the owl of its burden, she sent it away, shredding the letter without even opening it. She knew what was inside. He was trying to 'woo her' as he 'so lovingly' put it. Tact was not something he was well-versed in.

Meanwhile, the owl flew through the air, high above the confusing Muggles below. He himself was getting rather annoyed at how many times he'd been sent to that red-girl's house. So annoyed, that he was ready to peck his human's eyes out so he'd never be able to write another letter. Hah! See how he'd feel about that.

James watched with a keen eye for his owl, hoping that Lily would have replied back to him. He already had a drawer-full of letters saying '**_STOP WRITING ME!_**' and he really wanted to add another to his collection. He'd rather have a nice love letter instead of these false rejections hiding her feelings. Soon enough, she'd reveal that she had been pining for him for just as long as he did her.

He sighed at the thought, floating into yet another daydream...

A daydream that was instantly crushed as his owl...well, crashed into him. "Ow! You bloody bird!"

He received an annoyed nip on his finger – almost hard enough to draw blood – before the bird flew off to find a nice, quiet place to sleep the rest of the day away.

James sat on his bed, a little put down. He was bored. He had no siblings to tease, Sirius had run away from home the night before and was catching up on some sleep. Shoot, even Lily wasn't yelling at him. Sure, you can't really yell at someone on paper all that easily without the use of a howler, but she was doing a good job of it, regardless.

He thrust his arms out to the side and fell back. Or, at least, he tried to. He would have if he hadn't been stopped by many hard things ramming into his back. He turned and rubbed the back of his head, where it had rammed into a particularly large hard thing.

Books.

What were evil books doing on his bed?

Wait...these books weren't ones he recognized.

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  
****Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  
****Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  
****Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  
****Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
****Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  
****Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.**

_What the heck are these? Who's Harry Potter?_

James picked up the first one, looking at the cover. The boy in the picture looked _just_ like him!

Well...that's not freaky at _all_.

Curious, James opened the book to the first page.

_The Boy Who Lived? Lived from what?_

_**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**_

_Yeah, they sure **sound** normal._

_**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**_

_What are drills?_

James closed the book slightly, keeping a finger in his place. _What kind of book is this?_

He read through the introduction on the flap of the cover, thinking all the while, _Hogwarts isn't dangerous..._ and after reading the back; _Of course he's a wizard! All Potters are!_

He returned to reading, wondering what was really happening. He about skipped the first chapter altogether after reading about the spoiled child, the fat elephant of a man, and the thin, nosy woman. All up until he saw his name. Well, at least his last name.

"_**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"**_

"– _**yes, their son, Harry –"**_

He thought for a long moment. _Could this Harry be...**my** son? What year was this printed?_

_...1998!_

He let out a long, soft whistle. "Talk about your future book," he muttered under his breath.

He returned to his spot and read with more intensity. A moment later, he came across a part where Mr. Dursley knocked a man over.

"_**Sorry," he grunted as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak.**_

_**He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**_

_**And the man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**_

James blinked in shock and wonderment. _You-Know-Who? Gone? ...He stays for THAT long?_

Again, he read on, reading about the cat on the wall, the news, and how these Muggles felt about wizards the same as wizards felt about Muggles.

_Okay. Dumbledore...McGonagall...Sherbet Lemons...Lily and James Potter...wait, what? I marry Lily? YES!_

"_**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are – are – they're – they're – dead."**_

_**Dumbledore bowed his head.**_

Once more, James blinked in shock. _Okay...so I marry Lily, I have a son named Harry, and I **die**? I take it the future isn't exactly the best time for me..._

After reading just a tad bit more, James nearly leaped in victory. _My son! Defeated You-Know-Who! _He sighed and wiped a fake tear, not bothering to care that no one was there to see it anyway. _I feel so proud._

He continued reading, eyes widening as he nodded in agreement with McGonagall about Harry (his son!) going to live with the Dursleys.

As he read, he got more and more into his...new books. He even asked for lunch in his room, that way he wouldn't have to bring his books down for his parents to see. Surely, they would ask questions that would be difficult for him to answer. More so as he continued to read.

After a moment, James' mother knocked on his door. Pushing it open a bit, she saw him lying on his bed, the second book propped up against his pillow. "James, darling, I haven't seen you at all today! Are you alright?"

"Yes Mum, just reading." James answered lazily.

His mum started in shock at her son. "You're...reading?"

James turned slightly. "Huh?" Suddenly, his words caught up with him. "Uh, yeah. It's a quidditch book Remus sent me earlier today."

The lady at the door sighed softly. "Alright. Shall I call you for dinner?"

"Yes please!" he called as the door closed, unafraid of waking his best friend in the next room. James' father had put silencing charms around the room before Sirius had fallen asleep.

James' thoughts were running away with him again...including ones similar to, _"I can't believe Harry doesn't see how much Ginny likes him...!"_

Another, one that had shown many times in the first book as well, was, _I swear I'll hex Snivellus...next time I see him!_

And many, _many_ more.

Perhaps the time his brain was the most overworked and troubled was while he was reading the third book, **Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban**.

_How could Sirius do that to me? My family? He's my best friend! I'm never letting that happen! I'll let **Peter** be my Secret Keeper before I let **him**!_

He paused for a moment. _Could it be that I was sent these books to change the future? So that my family lives to be whole?_

And he continued to read, which was probably a good thing.

He had to go down to dinner soon after reading his own words during Harry's patronus practice with Remus. _(Professor Moony. Heh heh. That name still gets me!)_

_**The moment when he first found out he was a wizard and would be leaving the Dursleys' for Hogwarts! If that wasn't a happy memory, he didn't know what was...**_

_Ooh, Harry is **not** going there! I'll make sure of it!_

"James! Sirius! Dinner!"

James felt sudden rage inside of him at his soon-to-be-ex best friend's name. He quickly pushed it down. _Calm down, Prongs, he doesn't know you know. He doesn't even **know**! It won't do to make him suspicious._

As he left his room, he saw Sirius, still sleepy and rubbing his eyes, walking down the stairs. _I can't believe you, Padfoot..._

James got away from the table as fast as he could, faking tired. He really wanted to read what was happening next. Besides, he didn't know how much longer he could have taken, pretending to chat pleasantly with his 'friend' without attacking him, accusing him of things he hadn't done yet.

The tiredness ploy had also helped with that, making the glares he tried not to send Sirius look more like a moment of exhaustion.

_**He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark – "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**_

_**The screaming inside Harry's head had started again – except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio – softer and louder and softer again – and he could still see the Dementor -it had halted- and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet – though for how much longer, he wasn't sure –**_

"_**Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, springing forward.**_

James sighed in relief. _Thank you, Professor Moony!_

As he continued reading, he was very well ready to go and break off any friendship with Sirius he had – especially when he found out about him being Harry's godfather. _It would make sense. If I hadn't known of this, he'd be my first choice._

Then he got near the end. Tucking his wand behind his ear with light coming from the tip, he read as Snape acted like a jerk (no shocker there), Harry, Hermione, and Ron disarming him, resulting with him unconscious (go Harry!), and as Sirius explained.

"_**And why did he fake his death?" he said furiously. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"**_

"_**No," said Lupin. "Harry –"**_

"_**And now you've come to finish him off!"**_

"_**Yes, I have," said Black, with an evil look at Scabbers.**_

"_**Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted.**_

"_**Harry!" said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down – but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father – Sirius tracked Peter down –"**_

"_**THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"**_

_**He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly over-bright.**_

"_**Harry...I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last minute, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me..."**_

James blinked.

"_**I'm to blame, I know it...the night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out to your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies – I realized what Peter must have done. What I'd done."**_

_**His voice broke. He turned away.**_

James had tears in his eyes. _Oh, Padfoot...how could I have ever doubted you?_

As he finished the chapter, all hatred for Sirius fled and went into Peter's column. He shook his head, repeating a thought he had earlier, though changing the name.

_I can't believe you, Peter..._

James quickly finished with the third book of the series, grateful that Sirius had gotten away alive, even if he wasn't free. He got angry again, at Dumbledore this time. _Why does he keep sending him back there? Send him to the Weasleys', at least! He'd actually be safer there!_

But no, Harry returned again.

James had read through the last four books, tears actually spilling over when Sirius died. The others weren't all that hard to mourn...even Dumbledore. He wasn't exactly very high on James' list at the moment. For whatever the rest of the night would give him (yes, he was staying up all night. There was no way he could sleep now), he pondered over what he had learned in those books...and what he could change.

_Sirius said that Lily would start going out with me this year, but because my ego deflated...and I'm Head Boy?_

Before he could continue with his thoughts, the sun peeked through his curtains.

_I'm going to have to bring these to Dumbledore. As much as I don't like him at the moment, I have to. He's the only one who could help me._

He stood and stretched his arms over his head before grabbing a parchment from his rather messy desk. He wrote a letter.

_Dear Headmaster,_

_I have a great question for you. It has to do with the future.  
__You see, a set of books appeared in my room yesterday and, as thick as they are, I read them. The set is called the Harry Potter series.  
__Harry, as it appears, is my future son.  
__I really need to talk to you about this...it's very important. If you could invite me up to your office soon after I get to Hogwarts this year, I would very much appreciate it._

_James Potter_

_PS. Oh; and thank you for my Head Boy badge._

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Posted: 11 January 2008  
Word Count: 2,483


	2. One of Us, It Seems, Has Changed

_This chapter was written by AlaskaRae3. I claim no ownership over it, only the slight editing and formatting I might have done._

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**Chapter 2: One of Us, It Seems, Has Changed**

Dumbledore stared at the letter sent to him by James. What could possibly be so important about these books he had?

Wait a minute...the Hogwarts letters haven't been sent yet. How did James know he was going to be Head Boy? Unless...

He leaned towards the fire and flooed McGonagall's office. "Yes Headmaster, what do you need?"

"Have you sent out James Potter's letter yet?"

Professor McGonagall's head shook. "Just about to, actually," she said, "Why do you ask?"

"I would like to add something to it, if I may have it."

McGonagall nodded, picking up a letter from a pile. "Here you are, sir. I cannot believe you have decided him, of all people, should be Head Boy." She shook her head as she set it into a pair of pliers, dipped it in floo powder, and passed it through the fire.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I have my reasons, Minerva. Thank you." He grabbed the letter and disconnected the fireplaces. He set it on his organized desk and began to write a reply to James' letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I have to admit that I was doubtful about these books when I first read your letter. However, I thought it over and have agreed to talk to you about them. I only have one favor. I do not think I would be able to read them – could you write a small summary of each one, please?_

_Is this the reason why you knew you were Head Boy?_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_PS. This is Fawkes. Just give him an owl treat and send him on his way. Thank you._

-oOo-

James sat on his porch, smiling into the sun. Sirius had just gone to use the loo real quickly, so James was alone.

He jumped in fright when a flash of fire came from his right. His wand was instantly out, ready for an attack.

Instead of Death Eaters, it was a phoenix – a phoenix with a letter in its beak. Cautiously, James reached out a hand, and the phoenix dropped the letter onto it.

After James had finished the letter he summoned the owl treats and gave one to Fawkes, who vanished just as Sirius returned. "What's that?" he asked.

James was thankful he had hidden away the personal letter when he heard the door handle turning. "My Hogwarts letter."

Sirius looked excited. "Ooh, did mine come?"

James shook his head. "Sorry mate, but no. Maybe the owl thinks you're still at your old house."

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe...what's it say?"

James dumped the envelope between them, letting the two notes and a badge fall. Sirius instantly scooped up the badge. "Wow, a Head Boy and a Prefect in our little group. All we need now is Quidditch Captain and we'd have all three."

James smirked at him. "Well, you **are** an awesome beater. Who says you won't become Quidditch Captain? You certainly love the game enough."

Sirius shrugged and smirked back. "Eh, I just like to hit things."

Just after that left his mouth, a bird flew into his head, making James laugh. "More like things like hitting you!"

"Shut up James. Ouch, you bloody bird! That was my good head...Hey!" he exclaimed after looking closer at the owl. "It's my Hogwarts letter!" James noticed a small lump in it and burst out laughing. Sirius glared at him while opening it. "What are you laughing at now, Prongs?" he asked just as a badge fell to the ground.

"Looks like we do have all three, Padfoot." James made out, still laughing at his best friend's face.

-oOo-

They walked onto the train, laughing over something and looking around for Remus and Peter (James forced down his bitterness for the small rat-like boy). Soon after they had gotten their trunks on board and were searching for a compartment, James knocked into someone.

Someone with red hair.

"Oh, sorry Evans." He held out a hand to help her up, ignoring Sirius' knowing smirk.

Lily glared up at him and stood on her own. James blinked, then shrugged, retracting his hand and grabbing hold of his trunk. "See you at the meeting."

Lily stood there, shocked...as was Sirius. "What, you're not going to ask me out, Potter?"

"Would you rather I did? I figured after all the rejection you've shown me in the past, I had better let you go." He turned to continue on to a compartment. "Coming, Padfoot?" he called back, snapping Sirius out of his shock. "Bye, Evans." He waved over his shoulder at the confused young woman.

Right after the door closed to their newly found compartment, Sirius pushed James into a seat. "Explain. Now. Why aren't you fawning over Evans anymore?"

James shrugged. "I just figured that it would just be easier this way."

Sirius' face showed understanding. "Ohh! I thought you had actually given up!" He wiped at false perspiration. "Don't scare me like that, Prongs."

James shook his head. "No, I'm not giving up, but I'm not going to try either."

"Try what, James?"

It was Remus.

Sirius jumped up, spinning around to face the door while still in midair. "James isn't going after Evans anymore!"

Remus blinked. "Is that why she was walking around in a daze?" He turned to James. "What happened to you over the summer?"

James smirked. "Not much besides Sirius showing up around five in the morning a few weeks ago."

Sirius gaped at him. "Not much? _Not much?_ Remus! He _read_ this summer!"

Remus stepped back in shock while James rolled his eyes. "Oh, how little faith you have in me," he muttered.

Moony stared at James. "Did it have something to do with homework?"

Both shook their heads (though it was somewhat of a lie...Harry _did_ go to Hogwarts).

"Quidditch?"

Again, a head shake (again, another lie).

Remus looked James square in the eye. "What exactly did you read?"

Fortunately and unfortunately, before he could answer, Peter walked in. "Hey guys! What are you talking about?"

Sirius, ever the blabbermouth, spoke. "James was reading something over the summer and won't tell –" That's about as far as he got before Peter started cracking up. Padfoot frowned. "I'm serious!"

James smirked slightly. "Of course you are _serious_, Sirius."

The other black haired one of the group frowned at him. "I am going to go and get some sweets, and pretend you never made that pun."

Peter's face brightened. "Ooh! Can I come too?"

Sirius nodded and the two left, but not before Remus told them to get him some chocolate. Always the chocoholic. Once they had gone, Remus returned to staring at James. "What book?"

James shrugged. "Books, actually."

Moony's eyes widened. "You read books? As in _plural_? That had nothing to do with quidditch or school?"

James sighed. "Well, if you count a boy going to Hogwarts and playing quidditch...then, I guess it did have something to do with it."

The werewolf leaned back on his bench. "Why did you lie, saying it had nothing to do with such things?"

Prongs gave a concentrated look to Moony, as if wondering if he should tell him. He decided. "Would you like to read them?"

A sandy eyebrow rose. "Of course. I want to see what about these books has caught your fancy."

James opened his trunk and brought the first one out, changing the cover to its original state. Moony's eyes widened again when he saw it, but before he could ask, a sound came from out the door. Quickly, James changed the cover again to just be blank. "Put it away. I'll let you read the others when you're done."

Just after the book was gone, the door opened with difficult. Sirius shouted over an armful of sweets, "Did you not hear us knocking?"

"Oh, was that what that was? I thought that was just your perfume in your trunk."

The sweets fell onto the table. "I don't have any perfume in my trunk!"

-oOo-

The sorting was soon finished and the feast began. Halfway through, the Headmaster stood for the usual announcements. "Now, I have a few notices for all of you. The Forbidden Forest is _off limits_. Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. That is all I have to say. Mr. Potter, I believe you wanted to speak to me?"

To the shock of nearly everyone in the Great Hall, James nodded and stood, following Dumbledore out the doors to his office. "I wonder what that's about," Sirius thought out loud. Remus said nothing.

In his office, Dumbledore motioned for James to sit. "Now, Mr. Potter, tell me about these books."

James nodded. "Well, they are about a boy named Harry Potter who lives with his abusive family – his aunt was his mother's sister..." He continued until he was done, almost surprised to find the twinkle in his Headmaster's eye gone.

Dumbledore thought over what James had just told him about. He cautiously looked up at James. "I take it you're not all too pleased with my future self."

James raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, sir, I'm not too pleased with your past self either. It makes me wonder how much manipulation Tom Riddle had under your thumb before he became Voldemort."

Dumbledore only sighed and looked down. "I never consciously thought I was manipulating Tom. It was something I had done unconsciously. I look back now and see you are right about that."

James, daringly, asked another question. "Sir, when was it you first recognized Tom was growing dark? Consciously?"

The headmaster shook his head after a moment's thought. "I am not sure, Mr. Potter. Had I known earlier, I would have done everything in my power to stop him."

James nodded – a slight smile on his face. "I'm sure, Headmaster. But I do have another question..."

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Do you think we could get rid of him soon? Now that we know his weakness?"

Dumbledore was about to shake his head when he heard the last bit. "What about the Prophecy? Between your son and Tom?"

James smirked a little. "Well, technically, it hasn't been prophesied yet, so it isn't in effect right now."

Dumbledore smiled brightly, the twinkling returning full blast. "You, Mr. Potter, have the makings of a great plan. You are definitely one of the more intelligent students in this school."

James laughed. "No sir, I just like to think outside the box."

"Where are the books?"

"I'm allowing Remus to read them. Sirius and Peter won't touch them."

The headmaster smiled. "Good idea. Thinking outside the box again?"

James nodded. "I figured that someone I could trust should read the books, but also someone who, well...not much would surprise Remus about his future self."

The headmaster agreed. "Well then, I think we have been up here for long enough. You should get down to the Head common room. Password is _**Capitis**_. I trust you know where it is?" he asked with a knowing grin. After all, he did now know that the Marauders were Animagi and about the map.

James stood, but had a confused look in his eyes. "Sir, why did you choose me as Head Boy?"

Dumbledore grinned. "Miss Evans needs to loosen up."

-oOo-

When James entered the Head common room, he was met with the faces of two frowning people. Lily opened her mouth to shout, but found herself yelling along with Remus. James blinked slowly, not understanding a word that was being said to him.

"**What?"**

"She won't tell me the password to your room!" Remus shouted at the redhead.

"He won't tell me the reason why he needs it!" Lily retaliated.

Remus ignored her. "I've already tried all the usual ones, but they aren't working!"

James gave a small smile. "It's 'Fluffy'. And you can take two."

Remus felt his chest constrict, recognizing the reference, before he nodded and rushed up the stairs. James felt eyes on him and faced Lily's frown. "Yes?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Potter?"

Confused, Prongs replied, "What?"

Lily let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't be yourself! You haven't bugged me once today, you went up to the headmaster's office in the middle of the feast for no known reason – even to your friends..." she was interrupted as Remus came down the stairs, the next books in hand.

Remus only gave her a nod before going to the door, but he was stopped by James. "Don't let Sirius or Peter know of these." Remus nodded and James let him go.

Once the door closed, Lily pointed at it. "And THAT! What was that? You've got a secret that you're telling Remus, but not your _best friend_? There is no _way_ you can be you!"

James started laughing slightly. "Dumbledore's right, you do need to loosen up," he muttered, barely loud enough for her to hear. "I'm going to bed, Lily. Goodnight."

_Lily gaped after him. What in the **world** is going on here?_

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Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 2,295


	3. Year 7 Begins

_This is the first chapter that I have written myself. I hope my writing is as good as that of my predecessor, **AlaskaRae3**.  
__Also, thank you so much to my new beta, **Annabel-lurvs-purple**. I appreciate your help!_

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******Chapter 3: Year 7 Begins**

The next morning, Lily Evans awoke to a brand new day; a brand new term at Hogwarts. Her seventh, and final year...and she was Head Girl. Things could hardly be better!

Suddenly, the events of the previous day returned to her. James Potter, essentially ignoring her on the train...having a secret meeting with the headmaster – in the middle of the welcoming feast, no less!...and keeping a secret from Sirius Black. What in Merlin's name is going on here?

Not that she didn't welcome the fact that Potter was no longer bothering her constantly, and refraining from asking her on a date every five minutes...but she couldn't help feeling confused, nonetheless. The James Potter she knew was rambunctious, whimsical, and adventurous...and he displayed none of these characteristics yesterday (at least, to her knowledge).

She was determined to figure out what had happened of such great significance over the summer break to change Potter into the newly-subdued man he was.

Little did she know that just as she was sitting there, pondering her dorm-mate's personality shift, he was sitting up in his own room, waking from dreams of small, messy-haired boys with bright green eyes, dark wizards, and rats having their toes cut off. If James Potter ever thought he had a rough life because Lily Evans wouldn't give him the time of day, he obviously hadn't expected to find himself in this kind of rut.

As he got out of his bed to get ready for the day, hundreds of thoughts swirled in his head, reminding him of the seven books he had just read in the past fortnight. _Merlin_, he thought, _how did I even manage to sleep last night?_

For aside from the dreams and books weighing down his thoughts, he also had the beginnings of concepts formulating around the newly discovered weaknesses of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and how said weaknesses could be manipulated. _It looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the headmaster's office this term..._he thought to himself, as he shook himself out of his reverie.

-oOo-

James and Lily met on the stairs to their common room, by chance, on their way down to breakfast.

"Morning, Evans."

"Morning, Potter."

Not much else was said until they got to the great hall...when nothing _could_ be said anyway, as James Potter could be found immediately stuffing his face alongside Sirius Black. Lily sighed to herself, thinking that at least _one_ thing hadn't changed about Potter – he was a bottomless pit! Kind of like that Arthur Weasley she had taken a fancy to back in first year...oh, now is no time to dwell in the past! He's married to Molly Prewett now, anyway...

-oOo-

Lily spent the rest of the day quietly observing James Potter, hoping to figure out what was wrong with him. He seemed to be doing _most_ things normally – that is, he wasn't paying much attention in class, goofing off with Sirius half the time, and thoroughly annoying the professors. But what she didn't know was that he was only performing his regular "Marauderly duties" half-heartedly.

James spent most of the day in his classes, attempting to look as normal as possible...at least, as close to normal as he could ever be considered. He annoyed his teachers, fooled around with Sirius, and did all the things he normally did, hoping that nobody noticed something was off. His heart was in it...it was his mind that wasn't. He spent all day dwelling on the Harry Potter books, and just replaying in his mind all the things that would happen after he left Hogwarts...unless he could change them, that is.

The only person that noticed that James was off in his own world was Frank Longbottom. While James and Frank were not the closest of friends anymore, they had spent a good deal of their childhood together and were always there to confide in each other, when they needed it the most. And Frank could read James better than anyone else – even Sirius. So when Frank approached James right before dinner, James knew he couldn't fool everyone. As much as it pained him to keep things as important as this from Frank, he knew that the less people that knew about this, the better. Besides...he wouldn't want to scare Frank by letting him know his terrible fate – although he considered it momentarily, knowing how much joy it would bring him to tell of his future son's victory over the dark lord's snake...and his own personal demons. But Frank could wait. He could tell how important this was to James, and knew that he would confide in him when he was ready. _It was just a matter of time_, he thought.

-oOo-

That night found Lily sitting in her common room, awaiting James' arrival from dinner. _He can't REALLY still be eating, can he? Merlin...that boy. It's a good thing he plays Quidditch...who knows how fat he'd be otherwise! Wait a second...what do I care if James Potter gets fat? Good point. I don't._

At that moment, James took it upon himself to enter the common room, awakening Lily from her thoughts. But just as soon, he tried leaping right back out of the portrait hole, seeing her rise from her seat and start towards him.

"James Potter, I have been watching you all day. You can only put up a front for so long...there is something bothering you, and I'll be damned if I can't figure it out!"

James shuddered. _Since when did Lily use language such as that? Maybe he was a little too easy to read today. Then again, Lily could probably read him if he was a brick wall – that's just how she was._

He decided to take a risk, and turned around to face her. "Li...I mean, Evans, what do you care if something is bothering me? Honestly. One would think you're disappointed that I've stopped asking you out."

"See, that there! You almost called me Lily! You NEVER do that. And I saw the way Frank Longbottom was watching you today...if anyone knows when there's something wrong with you, it's him. I just felt like it'd be better to ask you yourself, than to ask Frank what was wrong with you and risk looking like a fool. And I_care_ if there's something wrong with you, because you normally are so unflappable! I've never known you to ever seem upset about anything...except maybe that time during first year when the house elves announced that there'd be no more treacle tart for the rest of the term."

James Potter was floored. _Lily actually cares about me for once? This is weird...maybe the tables have turned? Nahhhh. Impossible. I think she's just annoyed because I know something she doesn't. Yeah, that's it. Should I tell her? NO! Then she'd know that we end up married, and she'd NEVER go for that, and I'd totally change the future! Oh, there's no getting around Lily Evans once she's set her mind to something..._

"Potter? Potter! JAMES POTTER! What is WRONG with you?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry Evans. I would tell you if I could...Merlin, I could use a brain like yours for this...but I can't. I just can't. The less people that know, the better. I'll tell you one day, though. Once all this is sorted out...wait. Why should I? You obviously don't care about me, you care that I have knowledge that you don't! You just want me to tell you so you don't have to worry that maybe the headmaster finds me more trustworthy, or intelligent, than you. So save it for someone you actually give a rat's arse _(shudder)_ about!"

With that, James stormed out of the common room, and made his way up to Gryffindor tower to seek out Remus. At least he had someone he could actually talk to about this who wouldn't freak out about the subject at hand...

* * *

Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 1,134


	4. Moony's Advice

_Lots of DH spoilers...if you haven't read the seventh book, well, then, you don't deserve to be reading fanfiction._

_Thanks to **Annabel-lurvs-purple**, my supercool beta, and __**Mrs. Blaise Zabini 09**, writer of my first review!  
__And to everyone who has reviewed, thank you so much. Your comments, no matter how long or short they are, are a big help to me._

* * *

******Chapter 4: Moony's Advice**

James dragged himself up to Gryffindor tower to find Remus. Surely, he could help him sort out some of his thoughts! He just hoped that he had finished the third book by now...then he could at least have someone who understood his sudden quiet animosity towards Peter. _Of course he's finished it; Remus is the biggest bookworm this century._

As he gave the Fat Lady the password, and climbed through the portrait hole, he was greeted by none other than the rodent he'd so recently come to resent.

"Hey, James! What's your deal? You've been practically ignoring me since we got on the Hogwarts Express...did I do something wrong?"

"No, Peter. I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all."

Somehow, lying to Peter didn't feel quite as bad as it used to...back before he learned of his so-called friend's future betrayal. _But still, _James thought, _he has no idea what he's going to do a few years from now...ohhh, this is all too damn difficult._

"Peter, have you seen Remus? I need to talk to him."

"Sure, James. He's upstairs in the dorm, I think Frank's up there too..."

"Thanks, Peter." With that, James went up the stairs to the seventh year boys dorm, hoping beyond hope that Peter was wrong, and Remus was alone. What he found, though, was not only Remus and Frank, but Sirius as well.

"Prongsy! I almost thought you'd forgotten about Gryffindor tower!"

"Sirius...it's only the second day back. Calm yourself."

"Sorry, buddy, I just miss having you in the same dorm...it's weird without you here, even if it _has_ only been two days."

"Yeah, I agree it's a little weird, but as much as I love you guys, it's nice to have my own room again. Not to mention the benefits of seeing Lily all the time...I wouldn't mind having to share a common room with her for the rest of my days!"

"You never know, James...this could be the year she finally sees the light...maybe you'll have your chance after all!"

"I certainly hope so, Moony. ...Hey, can I have a word with you? That's the real reason I came up here, no offense guys."

"Sure, James, room of requirement?"

"Nah, let's head to my room. Then we can get you another one of the things you've been borrowing."

-oOo-

James entered the portrait hole before Remus, and received a funny look from Lily as he appeared. "Back so soon, Potter? I thought you were mad at me." She then noticed Remus, though, and gave him a kind smile.

"Hello, Remus. How are your classes?"

"Just fine, Lily, thanks. How are yours? And your Head Girl duties?"

"Oh, they're fine. I'm still trying to learn all the routes I'm supposed to take for rounds, but they don't seem too difficult."

"Glad to hear that. Well, I need to head upstairs, James needs to talk."

"Oh. I'm glad he's talking to someone, he's been acting fairly strange in the last two days. He hasn't even asked me out _once!_"

"You almost sound disappointed...I'm not quite sure what's come over him, but I hope to figure it out when we talk. Have a good evening."

Remus heard her reply of, "You too," as he climbed the stairs to James' dorm. Apparently, his friend had already made his way to his room during Remus' chat with Lily. With a passing mention of "Fluffy," Remus entered the room. A lot had changed since he had visited just the night before; aside from the stack of textbooks on the desk (_which appear to be gathering dust already!_ Remus thought to himself, with a chuckle, _I'll have to make sure James actually uses those for regular studying this year_), the Harry Potter books, which of course had magically modified covers for secrecy, were spread out across the room, along with notes Remus could only assume were from these books. He quickly cast a _Muffliato_ spell, to make sure that Lily couldn't hear anything they were about to discuss.

"James," he asked, "what in Merlin's name are all these notes? I mean, I know a lot of this stuff is hard to get your head around, with it being the future and all, but really now. You can't tell me you're studying this more than you are your schoolwork!"

"Remus, that's one of the reasons I needed to talk to you. Do you have any plans for the rest of the night?"

"Other than homework, none of which is due tomorrow, nothing...do you plan on holding me captive here all night?"

"I just might. I have a lot on my mind, and you're probably the only one who can help me right now, besides Dumbledore."

"Okay, I'm at your disposal, James. By the way, I finished through book three, I was wondering if I could read more..." He then removed two minuscule books from his pocket, returned them to their original size, and handed them to James.

"Sure, you can have the next two if you want, but I'll warn you that they're easily two of the biggest ones...they'll take awhile. Anyway, give me a second, I'll grab my list of things I need to discuss with you, so I don't forget anything."

James got off his bed and started rummaging around in his night table, looking for the list he had made earlier that day. Upon finding it, he gave it a once-over to make sure nothing was missing, and added a few notes to it to make sure he didn't confuse Remus too much.

**-HORCRUX – general overview, until he finishes the books  
****-Work with Dumbledore on this  
****-Can I enlist Frank? -ehhh, not yet. Don't bother until horcrux hunt  
****-The diary. Lucius Malfoy...can we get the ministry to raid his home? Probably discuss this with Dumbledore... wait until other horcruxes are destroyed so we don't blow our cover  
****-PROPHECY – wait until he reads book 5  
****-dealing with Peter  
****-LILY?**

"James...my friend...that note looks frighteningly confusing! I have a feeling this is all going to end in a huge headache for me..."

"Remus...these books are a headache in and of themselves. I swear, I wake up in the mornings and wonder how I managed to sleep the night before. Okay, so the first order of business, now that you've finished book three...congratulations on a successful year as a professor, by the way."

He winked, and Remus gave a devilish smirk.

"Seriously, though. What do I do about Peter? He already suspects I've been ignoring him. Granted, sometimes he _is_ a little easy to overlook, being a rat and all, but I really don't know how to handle friendly relations with him when I know that he's the one that causes everything bad that happens to my family and Sirius. He doesn't even know what he's going to do, and I hate him already."

"Best I can offer, James, is to just continue on the way you normally do. Time will only tell what will happen, and if you end up changing the future, like I know you are bound to do judging by these extensive notes, then maybe he'll end up staying a true friend rather than betraying you."

"I hope so, Remus, I hope so. Other than that, most things on this list you haven't encountered in the books yet, and I'm keeping the most sensitive subject for last...so I'm gonna give you a brief overview of the things you're going to find in the next few books. First of all...let me explain the horcruxes first. With the knowledge of them, the rest will make more sense. I'm sure you don't know what a horcrux is. As much as you've drained the library of every bit of knowledge you could get your hands on, I seriously doubt Dumbledore keeps books about this in the restricted section, never mind the main stacks. A horcrux is an object that contains a piece of a wizard's soul. When committing a deed of ultimate evil, such as killing someone, a wizard can cast a spell to split their soul in two, sealing the second piece in said object, thus creating a horcrux and ensuring immortality. For as long as that second piece of soul survives, so does the person. No one has ever ventured to create more than one horcrux, except Voldemort, apparently. According to these books, he has six, not including himself. His childhood diary, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, Marvolo Gaunt's (his grandfather) ring, and his pet snake, Nagini. Although at this point, we can only be sure of five of these, as Nagini wasn't made a horcrux until his second rise. Sorry if this is a bit much for you, but you should probably be starting to understand all the notes. Are you doing okay?"

"To be completely honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed...but do continue, because this is all terribly fascinating."

"If you're sure, then. That takes us to the next point. Horcruxes are near impossible to destroy. There are only a few methods, including basilisk venom and fiendfyre. And that's about all I have on horcruxes at the moment. Now, onto the final part of this...educational...chat. There's a prophecy made, although I'm not sure when. It's made by a one Sybill Trelawney, who is apparently the great-great-granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney. You've heard of her, right? Last great seer? Anyway, it's about Harry, but it could also be about Frank's son, too." And he summoned a piece of parchment from the pile on his desk, to show Remus the prophecy in its entirety.

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ..._

Once James was sure that Remus had finished taking in the prophecy and it's meaning, he continued.

"Now. I'm thinking that if we can find and destroy all the horcruxes before she makes the prophecy, there's a chance she won't make it and/or and we defeat Voldemort in time, and then my son will never be marked, and we can all live...I should probably talk to Dumbledore about this part, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, you probably should, James. But I completely understand where you're coming from. This is some heavy stuff, mate. I don't know how you're not going crazy, knowing the fate of yourself and everyone you love...at least I get to live to be at least thirty!"

"I know...it's really difficult. That's why I'm glad I have you. You haven't, and won't, go off your rocker with information like this, and it's really, really good to have someone to confide in with all this. The time I spent between finding those books and returning to Hogwarts were some of the most difficult days of my life. Not being able to tell anyone what you're going through – that's one of the worst feelings in the world. But let's get onto a lighter topic, shall we? The best part of the evening. Lily Evans."

"Ohhh, I knew this was coming eventually. I can't give you tips on how to woo her, Prongs. You know better than most how I am around women."

"Yes, yes, but still. I don't quite know what to do anymore. Before, it was all about asking her out, trying to impress her, showing off...now that I know I'm supposed to end up with her, I'm afraid of somehow doing something stupid and ruining everything – thus changing the future. Not to mention losing whatever small chance I have of being with her anyway. You have to help me think of something, please?"

"You are not to be swayed, my friend, I should have remembered that about you. The only real advice I can give you is to keep doing what you've been doing since you first saw her on the train yesterday. She seems to be giving you the time of day now, at least. That's a start, right?"

"Oh, Moony. You're a genius. I could almost kiss you! Thank you, that's the best advice I've heard all night."

"Anytime, James, it was nothing at all. Oh! Look at the sky...it must be nearly midnight. I should probably get back to the tower."

"Nonsense. I don't want you to get caught out of bed on my behalf, Remus. Let me just transfigure this desk chair into a bed, you can sleep here."

"Wow, Lily is right; you really _have_ changed. Not letting me get caught out of bed? Who are you and what have you done with James Potter?"

"I didn't say I don't approve of you being in the corridors this late at night...I just said I didn't approve of you getting _caught_. There's a difference, my friend."

Remus almost missed the snarky grin on James' face, but he turned his head just in time to see it.

"Glad to hear you've not changed _that_ much. Goodnight, James, and thanks for letting me stay."  
"Of course, Moony. Goodnight."

* * *

Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 2,263


	5. A Meeting with the Headmaster

_Thanks to **Jordana Kari** and **Keighter** for their awesome reviews. I did the "proud little writer" dance (yeah, I'm weird, I know) when I read them. I never imagined my writing would actually be likable to anyone besides myself and maybe my best friend! So thank you, thank you, thank you. (And thank you to everyone else who has reviewed and/or put me on story alert! I appreciate everyone's comments, no matter what they say). :)_

_Oh! And a great big thanks goes out to **Lady Mage**,who dedicated a chapter of her story **Wizarding Common Law** to me. That made me feel special. Go read it, it's Hermione/Fred, and it's awesome!_

_Thanks to my beta, as usual. I'm glad I make your job easy, it's a good feeling to know that I'm doing well enough to hear that from you :)_

* * *

******Chapter 5: A Meeting with the Headmaster**

The next few days blended into each other. By Friday, Remus had finished books four and five, and James still couldn't get a meeting with the Headmaster. He was getting somewhat antsy, and it didn't go unnoticed.

After dinner that night, James went to the Gryffindor common room with his friends to unwind and play some exploding snap. After the first few rounds, Frank called over to James from a chair by the fire. Sighing, James stood up and walked over to the fire, taking a seat in the chair next to Frank. He felt slightly nervous; he had a feeling he'd have to deal with more curious questions.

"James...please tell me what's bothering you. You're killing me here, mate."

James sighed and bit his lip. "Oh Frank, I wish I could tell you..."

"So why don't you? I can help you with whatever you need me to!"

"I know you can! That's why it's torturing me that I can't tell you yet. You have to understand, Frank. This is a lot bigger than you can possibly imagine."

Frank sighed inwardly. _James is so stubborn...I suppose this isn't any different than usual, though. _"I get it! It's big! But can't I just help..."

James was really getting irritated. _I love Frank to death, but **man**! Can't he lay off? I'll tell him when I'm ready!_ Slowly, trying not to yell, he interrupted him. "FRANKLIN AUGUSTUS LONGBOTTOM. If you don't stop pestering me RIGHT now, I'll tell Alice you slept with a stuffed hippogriff until you came of age!"

Frank blanched. "...You, you...you wouldn't..."

"Oh yes, I would...Oi! Alice!" James yelled across the common room.

"Yeah, James?" _Good thing she was actually in the room, _James thought.

Frank was getting nervous. _Alice can't know about Witherwings! She just CAN'T! She'll never snog me again! There goes my future... _"No! Potter! Don't! I'll lay off. I promise!" he hissed.

James just laughed. "Er...you look nice today, Alice." He turned back to Frank. "Okay, okay, don't have kittens! I was just trying to prove a point. I promise you, Frank, I will come to you when I'm ready. You, after Remus and Dumbledore, will be the first person I go to for help. There are very few people I can trust with the information I currently possess...this is more difficult for me than even I realize."

"Thank you, James. You know I only have your best interest in mind, right?"

"I do, Frank. I'd trust you with my life."

On that note, James stood up and left the common room. He stopped by the Owlery on his way back to his room, and sent Dumbledore a note requesting a meeting, yet again, and hoped he'd get a response this time. Then, he made his way back to the head dorm, climbed his stairs, and promptly went to sleep.

-oOo-

James slowly made his way into the land of the living on Saturday morning, being shaken awake by none other than the head girl herself. _I could get used to this,_he thought, and a large smile spread across his face as he opened his eyes the rest of the way.

Lily was terrified. It was 8am. She never woke up this early on Saturdays, except today. She couldn't fall back asleep, and soon resigned to doing a little early morning reading. Then she heard the yelling, and bolted up the steps to Potter's room, and started shaking him. "POTTER! POTTER! Oh please, wake up. Potter! Oh, for Merlin's sake! JAMES! JAAAAAAAMES!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up. What's your deal? What time is it, even?" he grunted.

"It's 8am." James groaned. "You were yelling in your sleep! It sounded like you were being tortured, or attacked. You kept saying something about 'kill me instead! Kill me, they deserve to live!' It sounded so real, I was terrified for you."

James shot up in bed. _I was screaming? Wait...Lily was terrified for me! She cares! Stupid, stupid. No time for that now! I was yelling! What did I dream about?_And suddenly, it started coming back to him. Voldemort. Their baby. Fidelius charm. _It's my future! I was dreaming about the day that Peter betrays us! Oh, this is **not** good. She can't know about this! What do I tell her? _"Um, Evans, don't worry. It was a dream. That's all! I dreamed there was a death eater attack on Hogsmeade. That's perfectly normal, we're at war. Everyone's been dreaming about this stuff lately."

"I'm still glad I woke you. No one should have to suffer through dreams like that, it's bad enough out there in the daytime; night should be a time of peace and relaxation." _If only that was really the case..._

"Thanks, Evans, I appreciate it. It's 8 o'clock, you say? Sounds like a good time for breakfast, as long as we're awake. Shall we?"

Lily smiled. "Sure. I'd suggest you get dressed first, though." She blushed, having just realized that James Potter was, indeed, sitting in front of her in just his boxers. _He has a really nice chest...oh no! This is **James Potter** we're talking about! He doesn't have a really nice **anything**, Lily Evans! You stop that right now._She hadn't even realized she'd been staring until he spoke.

"See something you like, Evans? It could all be yours, you know. But I'd suggest you take your leave for now, if I'm to get dressed anytime soon." And with a smug look on his face, James climbed out of bed, nearly naked, and headed for his wardrobe. "Although I really wouldn't mind if you stayed," he said with a wink, and started pulling out clothes.

Lily blushed again, feeling particularly odd for having blushed not once, but **twice **this morning, because of James Potter. _What has gotten into me?_ She got up, trying to hide her rosy cheeks, and headed down to the common room to wait for him.

-oOo-

Breakfast was rather uneventful, in James' mind. Then, a rather large, tawny owl swooped down upon his table, almost landing in his goblet of pumpkin juice. He immediately recognized the handwriting on the letter from the Headmaster, and quickly removed it from the owl's leg and stuck it in his pocket. The owl took off, and James noticed for the first time that Dumbledore was not at breakfast. _Where is he today? It's not like Dumbledore to miss breakfast..._ James quickly said his goodbyes to the rest of the Gryffindors, and left the great hall. Once he was outside the doors, he pulled the letter from his pocket and read it.

_9pm, my office. Bring your notes, and Remus, if you so wish._

James stood there for a moment, lost in thought. _Bring Remus, eh?_

-oOo-

Saturday passed abnormally slow for one James Potter. Normally, he flew through the day, having nothing to do but hang out with his friends in Gryffindor tower. But on this particular Saturday, he had other things on his mind. He halfheartedly agreed to play a few games of wizard's chess and gobstones with Sirius and Peter, and kept sending nervous glances over to where Remus was reading by the fire.

Finally, dinnertime arrived. James mostly pushed food around on his plate, eating the occasional bite whenever he noticed anyone watching him. It wouldn't do to have people suspicious of him...

As soon as dinner was over, James grabbed Remus and dragged him up to his dormitory.

"James! What's the deal? We still have an hour until we go to meet Dumbledore." Remus looked at James with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"I thought we could finish preparing the notes together before we head over there...plus, it'll look suspicious if I show up to Gryffindor tower right before the meeting, and drag you away. Sirius will want to know where we're going..." James had an expression on his face similar to that of a small boy nervously preparing for his first day of school.

"Fair enough," Remus replied, obviously thinking it over, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make sure we're completely prepared. But give me about 20 minutes to finish reading. I'm about to be done with the seventh book, and I think it'll be a lot better if I'm completely done reading the series when we go to discuss it with Dumbledore." James nodded in agreement, and went to his room to start arranging his notes.

-oOo-

When 9pm arrived, James and Remus could be found standing outside the headmaster's office, anxious to begin their meeting. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin...please enter. No need to stand outside my door."

The two marauders tentatively entered the headmaster's office, and sat down in chairs at his desk. Formal greetings were exchanged, and the overall air was one of anxiety. Dumbledore broke the tension a few moments later, to ask if Remus had finished reading the books.

"Oh, yes sir," he replied, "I only finished the last one tonight. It was particularly difficult to finish, because I had to read about my own death and that of my future wife, and of leaving behind our newborn son as an orphan..."

"Oh, that truly is terrible, Remus. I'm sorry you had to experience that, it must have been heart wrenching. I wasn't aware that your death would occur in the story, as I was only given an overview." Dumbledore looked slightly shaken. _How can he sit there so calm, after only just learning of his own demise?_

"It's no matter, headmaster. I know I'll have to die eventually, and I suppose it's not as difficult to grasp when you know that you're going to die for something as important as the fate of the wizarding world...it will, without our efforts, take place during the final battle with Voldemort."

"Mr. Lupin, you are a braver man than most, and I admire that. But enough of this sadness...let's get down to business. Mr. Potter, I believe you have some information to share with me?"

James looked back at the headmaster, having spent the last few minutes focused on Remus' expressions. He was impressed with how stoic Remus seemed to be, but then again, he'd always been a bit private about his deepest feelings. He saw Dumbledore's eyes twinkle, but it wasn't the normal mischievous twinkle everyone knew so well...it seemed to be a sort of dangerous one; determination, laced with anger, hope, and daring all at once. _It's now or never, Prongs, old boy..._

James began showing his notes to Dumbledore, explaining every little detail as he went along. Remus would jump in every once in awhile, with something James may have forgotten, but overall, he stayed quiet. _This is mostly James' work, _he thought,_ he deserves to be the one to share all of his findings. I'll be of use when I'm needed._

By the time James finished explaining everything about the Horcruxes and everything surrounding it to Dumbledore, the twinkle had left the headmaster's eyes. "Mr. Potter. This is a tremendous amount of research that you have done! We should start planning a course of action immediately...the sooner we can get this going, the sooner our world goes back to the good place it once was...and the more innocent lives we save."

"Headmaster, if you don't mind my interruption, I've already started making some plans, and I'd like to share them with you. I had imagined that you'd want a few days to process all this information; that is why I didn't share them with you immediately. Would you care to hear about them?"

"Most certainly, Mr. Potter."

James reached into his pocket and pulled out a few parchments of notes that he had not previous shown to Dumbledore...or Remus, either, which showed on his friend's face. He took a deep breath, and placed the first parchment on the desk.

**HUFFLEPUFF'S CUP**

"According to the books, Helga Hufflepuff's cup was in the possession of one Hepzibah Smith, when it was stolen by Riddle and she was murdered, and her house elf was framed. I would expect he has already given it to Bellatrix Black, who would have put it away for safekeeping. In the future, it is said to be in the Lestrange vault, as Ms. Black is to marry Rodolphus Lestrange. Seeing as how she hasn't wed yet, I would assume that she is keeping it in the Black family vault. With this in mind, would it be possible to send Sirius in there to retrieve it? It is his family vault, but it is not his personal treasure, so I am not sure whether the wards placed on the vault would restrict him from taking it."

Remus stared at James, shocked. He really _had_ thought this through, and from the looks of it, was being too stubborn to ask for any help with his ideas. Either that, or he came up with this while Remus was still reading tonight...and to include Sirius! He really thought that James wasn't going to let Padfoot in on any of this for a long time...

"Most excellent idea, Mr. Potter. I am unsure as to whether the wards would stop him or not, but it is definitely worth a try. The only concern I have is that he may have a separate section of the vault than she, because they are cousins and not siblings. In which case, knowing her future alliances, how would you feel about possibly recruiting Andromeda Black in his place?"

Remus' head snapped up. The mention of Andromeda reminded him of his future nuptials with her daughter, Nymphadora, and he felt slightly sad when he thought about the burden he would be placing on her later in life.

James thought this over for a few moments, and then smiled. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It'd just take careful planning, because I'm really worried about information getting out to the wrong people."

"Good, then, we'll work out how to involve Sirius soon, and begin with that horcrux first. Did you have any other ideas to share?"

James looked back at the parchments in his lap, and decided on a second one.

**RAVENCLAW'S DIADEM**

"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem has been thought missing for as long as anyone can remember, but according to the books, the Grey Lady knew where it was, and told Riddle where to find it. After turning it into a horcrux, he stored it in what is known as the Room of Requirement, when it is in the form of the Room of Hidden Things. I have an idea of where to find it, as it was described by Harry in the book, and I thought I could just go up there and retrieve it. Then, we call upon the Sorting Hat to locate the sword of Godric Gryffindor, which, it turns out, is laced with Basilisk venom. We can then use the sword to destroy the diadem."

"Brilliant idea, again, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore looked over to his cabinet, and gazed fondly upon the patched old hat sitting on the shelf.

James picked up a third parchment, and immediately started speaking again. "Similar to Ravenclaw's diadem, Riddle's grandfather's ring can be found and disposed of quite easily. It is in the old Gaunt shack, and I thought since it is against the rules for me to leave school grounds, maybe you or another professor, such as McGonagall, could retrieve it. Then, we could destroy it together with the diadem."

James cautiously looked into Dumbledore's eyes, fearing he had been to forward. He then pushed the piece of parchment over to the headmaster, showing him the exact location of the ring in the shack written on the parchment. A few moments later, the headmaster spoke.

"I can sense your apprehension, Mr. Potter. You are not being too forward, you are simply creating ideas based off of fact. It is wise that you choose not to be the one to retrieve the ring. I would gladly go to Little Hangleton and get it. In fact, I believe I might go tomorrow, just to get it out of the way."

He thought for a moment, and then continued. "So I believe we have tackled three of the five existing horcruxes in a matter of a few hours. I am thoroughly impressed. I do believe, though, that it's getting very late, and if I am to go to that shack tomorrow to find the ring, I want to be well rested. There's no telling what kind of protection spells have been placed to keep it safely hidden away, and I don't want to find myself vulnerable. We have covered so much tonight, we can finish discussing whatever other plans you have at our next meeting. I hope you find this suitable?"

"Yes, headmaster. I really appreciate you meeting with us like this, and how much you are willing to help us." James looked extremely relieved to have shared so much of his burden with Dumbledore.

"Don't thank me, Mr. Potter, when I should be the one thanking you. Most men would have found this situation too frightening to handle, and would never have done as much with it as you have. I am humbled by your motivation and your intellect, and admire that in you. And you as well, Mr. Lupin. I know you haven't said much during this meeting, but I can tell how much help you've been in this. Not just in researching, and posing new ideas, but in helping James deal with this. I cannot imagine what this would all be like if he had to go about it alone, and I know that having the support a friend has made a tremendous difference. So thank you again, both of you. I think it's time that you head on back to your beds, a brand new day awaits you in the morning. I will be sure to inform you, when I return, of my experience and hopefully my success with visiting the Gaunt house."

James gathered all of his parchments, except the one about the ring, and he and Remus stood up to leave. When they were halfway to the door, they stopped in their tracks as the headmaster spoke again.

"You've gone above and beyond my highest expectations, Mr. Potter. I had my doubts when placing you as Head Boy, academically, as there were others that seemed more suitable to the rest of the professors; but I see now that you really and truly deserve the title and the responsibility, and have taken it upon yourself to not only protect and better the students of this school, but the rest of the wizarding world. You should be celebrated as one of the finest minds and leaders to ever come out of Hogwarts, and I will do everything in my power to assist you with this tremendous endeavor."

James was floored. "Th- th- thank you, headmaster, that means the world to me." He blushed, and turned back towards the door.

"Oh, and James?" James turned back one last time. "Do you remember what I originally said when you inquired about being picked as Head Boy?" James nodded, puzzled. "Well, I see you've been doing a good job with that as well. Keep it up." And with the familiar twinkle in his eye, he winked at James and Remus, and disappeared into his private chambers.

* * *

_I felt a little creative...did you catch that Buckbeak reference? Frank's stuffed hippogriff is named Witherwings...so when Sirius and Buckbeak go into hiding, and he has to change the hippogriff's name, he decides to name it Witherwings, as an homage to his old friend. :)_

_Also, the quote that it resulted from - the one where James is yelling at Frank - I came up with that sometime between writing chapters three and four, and couldn't wait to use it in my story. I giggle every time I read it. :)_

Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 3,283


	6. A Thousand Stuffed Unicorns

_Thank you to **Mikee** and **DeliaDee** for pointing out the issue with Gryffindor's sword and the basilisk venom. I have taken into account your words, but I am not changing the last chapter. You'll see what I do with it when the time comes, you won't be disappointed. :)_

_Hugs for my beta, **annabel-lurvs-purple**._

* * *

******Chapter 6: A Thousand Stuffed Unicorns**

James and Remus made their way back to Gryffindor tower in relative silence. Each was trying to wrap their heads around everything that was discussed that night, and so they just walked together for the sake of having company. After they reached the tower, James bade Remus goodnight as his friend climbed through the portrait hole, and continued on his way to his own dorm.

He turned a corner, and came upon Peeves. _Oh no_, he thought, _this can only mean trouble._ He stopped, to listen to what mischief Peeves was making before he confronted him, and heard the voice of none other than Lily Evans.

"_Silly old Lily, oh she's got a crush_

_She's waiting for Potter, and she's in no rush..."_

"PEEVES! Stop that this instant! I don't CARE if you enjoy making fun of students, I am the HEAD GIRL! I demand that you listen to me!..."

"_...Pretending she's reading, but Peeves is no fool_

_I'll drive the girl barmy, and tell the whole school!"_

"DON'T MAKE ME GO GET THE BARON!"

Peeves didn't seem at all threatened by Lily, even with the mention of the Bloody Baron. It looked like he wasn't going to stop bothering her anytime soon, so James decided to step in. Calmly, he addressed the bothersome poltergeist. "Peeves. I have just been to see the headmaster, and mentioned that I am getting tired of your antics. We discussed the possibility of having you exorcised from this castle. I _know_ you don't want that to happen, so I'd advise that you leave Miss Evans here alone and be on your way."

Peeves looked at James, shocked. _They wouldn't **really** bring in an exorcist, would they? Well, don't want to risk it..._ And with that, Peeves flew off, probably to find someone else to bother.

Lily picked up her wand and her book, which had fallen sometime during her encounter with Peeves, and looked up at James. _Oh no...I wonder how much of that he heard. Damn! He can't know I was spying on him! He's going to think I like him now! That's not such a terrible thing, is it? OF COURSE IT IS! What am I thinking? I DON'T LIKE JAMES POTTER! Oh, I hope he didn't hear that whole song..._"Why did you do that? I could have handled that on my own."

James just laughed. "I know you could have, but it would have taken a lot longer than it did with my help. I figured you wouldn't want to have to deal with him any more than necessary, so I thought I'd help you out. Besides; it's been a long day, and all I really want is to get back to my room and relax...not listen to Peeves. Come on, let's go back to the tower. Why were you out anyway?"

Lily blushed, and dropped her eyes, before she started walking with James. "Well, I, uh, I just wanted to take a stroll around the castle, maybe find somewhere new and exciting to read. Where were you?"

James hesitated. _Was Lily just stuttering? I've never heard her fumble with words before. She's not even making eye contact with me! And why is she blushing? She must be hiding something...I wish I'd heard that whole song..._ "I had a meeting with the headmaster, nothing important, really."

"Oh, okay."

They reached the portrait hole, and climbed in. As they made their way to the stairs leading to their respective dormitories, Lily paused for a moment, thinking. "Hey Potter?"

"Yeah, Evans?"

She looked up and met his eyes for the first time since they started walking. "I just wanted to tell you...you've changed quite a bit since the start of term. You seem more mature, more thoughtful; I like that. I'm actually starting to enjoy being around you once in awhile, which is strange, and really hard for me to admit. I don't know what brought about this change, but if it's anything you need to talk about with someone, I'm here." She looked back down at the floor, feeling a bit uneasy about that confession, and turned to head up the stairs to her room.

The only thing James could do was grab her arm, and pull her in for a hug."Thank you, Lily. That means more to me than you know." He (rather reluctantly) pulled out of the embrace and headed up to his room.

As he lay in bed that night, all thoughts of the meeting with Dumbledore were pushed out of his head. There was only one thing on his mind as he drifted off to sleep...Lily Evans. _That was the first time I ever really hugged her,_ James thought, _and Merlin, did that feel nice. She's so soft, and warm, and she seems to fit so perfectly against me...I could hug her forever..._ And with that, James Potter closed his eyes and journeyed to the world of dreams._  
_

-oOo-

Meanwhile, in her own room, Lily was trying to collect her thoughts. And failing miserably.

_Was that the first time I've ever hugged him? Of course it was, why would I have ever hugged him? But it felt like I've been hugging him all my life; it felt so natural. He's so warm, and I could feel his muscles through his sweater...thank Merlin for quidditch training. STOP THAT, LILY! This is James Potter! It was just a hug, that's all. He was grateful for your compliment and compassion. But his arms fit so nicely around me...ARGH! What is WRONG with me? When did I go soft? Ugh._ And she spent the rest of her night, before falling asleep, making a mental list of the reasons she hated James Potter.

-oOo-

The next morning, James woke up feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time. He thought back to the night before and sighed, grinning madly._ Lily...she actually cares. ABOUT ME! Granted, not the way I care for her, but at least she cares about my existence! Thank Merlin, this makes everything so much easier._His thoughts were interrupted when his stomach growled mercilessly, and so he decided to head down to breakfast. _I didn't really eat much yesterday, did I?_

He took a seat at the Gryffindor table, between Sirius and Remus, and began to shovel food into his mouth. Once he was satisfied that he had made up for his lack of food the day before, he turned to Remus. "Moony, old pal, homework in the common room today? We didn't really get much of it done yesterday..."

Remus eyed him warily. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Sirius and Peter don't have any...the common room will surely be a zoo."

James frowned, realizing Remus was right. "Well, then, want to join me in _my_ common room? I can honestly say Evans certainly won't be making a commotion. Besides; I wanted to share those other notes I had with you, I saw the look on your face when I produced the ones you didn't know about last night. I feel kinda bad."

Remus' eyes lit up. _So James really **did **forget to tell me about those, he wasn't actually hiding them from me! I knew he wouldn't be THATstubborn about this._"Sure, sounds like a plan."

With that, the two boys stood up from the table, and said their goodbyes to their friends. Sirius just looked at them in confusion. _What has gotten into the two of them lately? They don't seem to want to have any fun anymore...we'll see about that. They won't be able to keep the smirks off their faces tomorrow when they see what I have planned for Transfiguration..._

-oOo-

James and Remus spent the morning, and part of the afternoon, studying in the common room of the head boy and girl dormitories. At around 3pm, Remus looked up from his potions essay and realized they had missed lunch. "James! Do you know what time it is?"

"Hrm?" James looked up slowly from his charms textbook and glanced at his watch. "Oh! We've missed lunch! How in the world...let's go down to the kitchens."

The two boys headed to the kitchens, where they had themselves a hearty lunch, courtesy of the Hogwarts house elves. Meanwhile, up in Gryffindor tower, Lily Evans was sitting in the 7th year girls' dormitory with her best friend, Alice Prewett.

-oOo-

Now, Lily was not one to gossip, but when she got together with Alice, anything was possible. So that is why the two could be found sitting on Alice's bed, nibbling on sugar quills, and talking about boys.

Alice was fidgeting. She had her sugar quill in one hand, twirling between her fingers, and the edge of her sheets in the other. "I really think Frank is keeping something from me, Lils. The other day, James was having some sort of disagreement with him, and called my name to tell me something...but only said, 'Er...you look nice today, Alice.' It looked like Frank was bargaining with him to not tell me whatever it was he was really going to say. I think there might be something going on...am I being paranoid? I really like Frank, and I want to trust him."

"James has been the same way, Alice. Have you seen how much he's changed? He hasn't asked me out ONCE since the term started, and he's been studying _so_much. He barely even spends any time with Sirius!"

"Yeah, but he's not your boyfriend, Lily. He isn't obligated to tell you anything, really."

"Thank Merlin for that!" She thought for a moment, and then continued. "But we should still figure this out. I say we do a little snooping...what do you think?"

Alice smirked, and clapped her hands. "Yes, I think that's an excellent idea! We can go inspect Frank's room now...but wait. Isn't there a password to James' room?"

"That's no bother, I know it. Now let's go check it out!"

The two girls climbed off the bed, placed their sugar quills in their pockets, and headed down to the common room. After checking to see that Frank, Sirius, and Peter were in the common room, they made sure no one was looking and headed up the boys' stairs. Upon reaching the dormitory they needed, they paused at the door. "Ready, Lils?" Lily nodded, and they held their breath as they opened the door.

The first thing they noticed when they entered the room was how messy the boys _really _were. Now, Alice had been in their dorm before, but it had always been when Frank had invited her up there. Apparently, he made them clean up before she got there, because it was always tidy when she saw it. But this time, they hadn't prepared for her...and it was gross. "Boys are such pigs! Ew. I can't believe I really thought they kept it clean all the time!"

Lily laughed, and paused. "Wait, you've been in here before, Alice?"

Alice blanched. "Erm, yeah, a few times. With Frank. N-nothing happened!" She blushed. "But it was so tidy...like Frank had made them clean up for my arrival."

Lily just smiled at her friend. "No worries, Al. I didn't think you'd be that kind of girl. I was just surprised..." she stopped mid-sentence, as they found themselves at Frank's nightstand. "WHAT is THIS?"

A slew of emotions passed on Alice's face; first shock, then amusement, then happiness – with a few others in between. "A HIPPOGRIFF? Frank has a stuffed HIPPOGRIFF? Oh. My. Gosh. This is too good to be true." She then burst out giggling, and picked it up in her hands. "It's so soft! And well worn! Oh, Lily, this is probably the cutest thing EVER. Let's bring it downstairs."

Lily eyed her friend warily. _I really don't think Frank would want us to know about this...it's probably not a smart idea to show him we found it. Wait, what is she doing?_ She jumped as she noticed her friend walking out the door. "Alice! Wait! I'm not sure Frank wants us to know about this. It's probably embarrassing for him! Are you sure you want to show him you found it?"

Alice turned, smiled at Lily, and hugged the hippogriff to her chest. "Of course. I think it's sweet. He won't mind!" And with that, she headed out the door. All Lily could do was follow her, and hope for the best.

-oOo-

Halfway down the stairs, Alice started shouting. "Frank! Hey, Frank!"

He turned towards the stairs, confused as to why Alice would be coming from that side of the common room...that was the boys' side. "What's up, Alice? And why were you in..." Frank froze, mid-sentence, and frowned. "Oh no. No. You didn't."

Alice was startled by his sudden change in demeanor. He looked terrified! "What's wrong? Frank?"

"You...you...you found Witherwings." He could barely speak, let alone form coherent thoughts. _Man up, Longbottom. It's just a stuffed hippogriff. It's not like she saw you cuddling with it! This isn't the end of the world, right?_ "I hadn't meant for you to find that...I always hid him when you came up to my dorm. Why were you up there?"

"You were hiding something from me. Lily and I decided to investigate. Is this what you were hiding? A hippogriff?" _I can't believe Frank is so upset about this! It' s a hippogriff, for Merlin's sake!_

Frank tried to compose himself. _She doesn't seem to be upset...maybe she doesn't mind I have it? Oh, who am I kidding? She'll NEVER want to be with me now!_"Yes, Alice. I didn't want you to know I had a stuffed hippogriff, because I thought you wouldn't like me. What 17-year-old guy has a stuffed hippogriff? No girl wants a guy with something like that." He turned his eyes towards the floor, embarrassed.

Alice couldn't believe her ears. _Frank thinks I won't like him because of this? He has GOT to be kidding. I couldn't be happier!_ She handed Witherwings to a baffled Lily, and walked over to Frank. Placing her hand under his chin, she lifted his head up so their eyes could meet, smiled, and spoke softly to him. "Frank. No, look at me. Why would I not like you? I think you having this hippogriff is the cutest thing I've ever seen. It shows me that you're sensitive, and I like that in a man." She paused, and drew in a long breath. "I love you, Frank. You could have a thousand stuffed unicorns for all I care, it wouldn't make me love you any less."

Frank was shell shocked. _She **likes** Witherwings? She LOVES me? SHE LOVES ME! HOLY HELL!_ "Oh Alice, you...I...it's just...I love you too!" And with that out of the way, he kissed her thoroughly.

Sirius chuckled. "I guess now's not a good time to tell you he slept with that hippogriff until he came of age?"

Alice pulled away from Frank slightly and laughed, before kissing him again. Lily chucked Witherwings at Sirius, hitting him squarely in the head.

-oOo-

A few minutes later, Alice and Frank had finally detached themselves from each other. Alice was glowing. She looked over at Lily, and suddenly remembered what had brought them to this situation in the first place. "Well, Frank, don't mean to be rude by snogging you and then leaving, but Lily and I have something we need to go do. I'll see you at dinner?"

Frank beamed at her, and nodded in agreement. He seemed to have temporarily lost the ability to speak. She gave him a short kiss goodbye, gathered up Lily, and headed out of the portrait hole. "So...phase one complete. That went well, if I do say so myself." She giggled, and threw Lily a high five. "Now, to phase two. Wait. How do we know James isn't in his room? This could be bad."

Lily stopped to think about it for a moment, and then resumed walking. "Well, he's been studying in the common room lately, so if he's not there, and there's no noise coming from his room, I think it's safe to assume he's out. We'll just hope we're lucky, I suppose." Lily seemed confident in her plan, but Alice could see a lot of opportunities for trouble. _I suppose it's up to Lily, this is her half of the adventure. If she thinks it's okay, I'll go along with her. I'm not the one who has to share a common room with him!_

The girls reached dorm, and climbed through the portrait hole. Seeing no one in the common room, and hearing nothing coming from upstairs, they started towards the boys' stairs. Just as they were climbing the first few steps, the portrait hole swung open again, and James and Remus stepped through. As soon as they saw the girls on the stairs, they stopped in their tracks. "Evans? Prewett? What are you doing? That's MY room!" While James enjoyed the idea of Lily Evans going to his bedroom, he was not in it, and couldn't help but be worried about why she was headed there. The girls whipped around, caught like deer in headlights, and started back down the stairs, mumbling excuses.

Lily was the first to speak an actual word. "Um, uh, I guess we were just too caught up in talking, we didn't see where we were going. We were TRYING to get to my room, but somehow misjudged our direction. We'll just be going there, now." _Damn. Why'd they have to come back so soon? Well, I suppose it's better than if they'd caught us in his room, right? But still. Stupid Potter, not giving me time to snoop._

She and Alice headed up to her room, so as not to raise suspicions. When they got there, they groaned. "What do we do now, Lily? We didn't plan for this part..."

-oOo-

James and Remus sat down on the couch in the common room, and gave each other a look as if to say, 'What in the world is going on here?' "Seriously, Remus. She was trying to sneak into my room! Lily Evans! My bedroom! WHAT?"

Remus couldn't tell if James was excited, confused, nervous, or angry...so he settled for all of the above. "Well, Prongs, I really couldn't tell you. I'm just glad we got back when we did, or else who knows what she might have found? We didn't exactly hide our notes that well...she's a smart one. She could have figured it out in no time."

James' face fell. "Shit." He bolted up the stairs, and started stashing his notes wherever he could. When he got back downstairs, he found Remus at the window, untying a letter from the leg of a large barn owl. "Who's that from, Moony?"

Remus finished untying it, and the owl flew away. "Dunno, it just has your name on it." Just as he handed it to James, another owl tapped on the window. "Isn't that Frank's owl? What's she doing here?"

James approached the window and let the owl in. "Hi, Trudy," he said, petting her feathers, "I haven't seen you in awhile! What do you have for me?" He pulled the letter off her leg, and gave her an owl treat from the windowsill. She sat for a moment as he ruffled her feathers, and then flew off. "So which one do I open first? Frank's, or the mystery one?"

"I'd say Frank's, it's probably less likely to surprise us."

James nodded, and opened the letter.

_J-_

_She found Witherwings._

_And she LOVES me!_

_-F_

James grinned, and showed the letter to Remus. "Frank, you sly old dog. I wonder how he managed that? Ahh, we'll have to go congratulate him later."

Remus, having just finished the letter, smirked. "So I guess this explains why Alice is here. Girl talk!"

James chuckled. The idea of Lily having 'girl talk' was an amusing one. Lily Evans, gossiping? Never. "I suppose I should open that other letter, then. Probably not as exciting as the one from Frank." He opened the letter, and a his stomach dropped.

_Mr. Potter,_

_The headmaster requests a meeting with you._

_Please meet him at 6pm, and bring Mr. Lupin._

_He says not to worry about dinner._

_-Professor McGonagall_

He looked at his watch. 5_:30! Had we really been in the kitchens that long?_ "Well, Moony, I suppose Frank will have to wait. We should probably head over to see Dumbledore now. Just let me grab the remaining notes from my room." He made his way back up the stairs, gathered a few pieces of parchment, and started walking back to the stairs...then doubled back, and grabbed his invisibility cloak. _Just in case._

* * *

Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 3,534


	7. Enter the Phoenix

******Chapter 7: Enter the Phoenix**

Remus was leaning over a table, writing on some parchment when James reached the common room. "Give me a second, James. I'm writing a quick note to Frank, to drop by the tower on our way to Dumbledore. We have a few minutes to spare, no big deal."

James grunted in agreement, and walked up behind Remus to see what he was writing. _'Congrats! We'll be by later to hear what happened. -J & R'_ Remus looked up at James for approval, and received a nod in return. He folded the letter, picked up his wand, and followed James out of the portrait hole.

-oOo-

After a quick stop at Gryffindor tower that involved handing Frank the note and leaving before anyone could ask questions, the brainier half of the Marauders found themselves at the top of the rotating stairs to the headmaster's office. They knocked, and then entered when greeted. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, you're right on time. Come in, sit down! I have something to show you."

James and Remus quickly took their seats, anxious to see what Dumbledore had uncovered. "So I take it you were successful, headmaster?" James was so eager to see the results that the headmaster just chuckled.

"Yes, boys, I was. In more ways than we had expected, in fact. But before we get down to business, would either of you care for a lemon drop?" The two boys graciously accepted the candy, and the headmaster continued. "Before I show you the ring, I am curious to know; are either of you familiar with the Deathly Hallows?"

They nodded, and James pulled out a large piece of parchment, covered in notes. "That's actually one of the things I had meant to discuss with you, headmaster. They are explained, in depth, in the seventh book, as they have a large part in Harry's search. You inspired this, as a matter of fact."

The headmaster looked surprised. "I did, did I?"

"Yes sir. You bequeathed your copy, original one, I might add, of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to Harry's friend Hermione, and had drawn the Hallows symbol on the page with The Tale of the Three Brothers."

"Ahh, I expect I was pretty cryptic about that, wasn't I? Well, I can't see how I could have expected them to find all three. You see, I have in my possession what is known as the Elder Wand, the first of the Hallows. And in finding this ring, I have uncovered the second of the Hallows, the Resurrection Stone. This is said to be a family ring, which must mean, if I am correct, that the Gaunt family descends from the ancient Peverell family, whom I believe to be the brothers mentioned in the tale. The ring is simply a metal shell containing the stone, which I recognized from the Hallows symbol carved into it. It is incredibly exciting, as I have always wished to be able to try using the stone..."

James sat bolt upright. "No, headmaster, you must not! I apologize. I don't mean to be rude, but in the book, you tried that very thing. It turns out that because the ring is a horcrux, when you used the stone, you were affected by a terrible curse that would eventually lead to your demise. Please, don't risk that, sir."

The headmaster could see how serious James was about this, and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. I believe without your knowledge, I would have tried, and indeed been struck by the curse. A wise decision to not try the stone before showing the two of you. I think I shall wait until we destroy the horcrux, and if it is salvageable, maybe I will try it then. Oh! Well, back to the Hallows. I have the first two, but there's still a third. I've heard of invisibility cloaks, but I've never heard of one as powerful as the one they mention in the tale. It would be incredibly useful to have all three Hallows in our effort to destroy Voldemort, but I expect it would take many years to merely track down knowledge of the cloak, let alone find it..." He paused, when he noticed James and Remus. The two boys were looking at each other, with curious expressions on their faces, obviously having a nonverbal conversation. He waited patiently while they 'talked' things over, and listened interestedly when James went to spoke.

"Erm, headmaster...I believe I may have heard of this cloak. In fact..." James paused, took a deep breath, and looked Dumbledore in the eyes. Pulling the cloak out of his pocket, he continued. "I'm pretty sure I own it."

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, blanched. _The cloak. James Potter has the cloak. After all this time, it is in possession of one of my students? This is IMPOSSIBLE. The cloak! _He looked at James, silently asking permission to examine the cloak. When James extended it to him, he carefully took it in his hands, and admired it. "This...this is one fancy cloak! How sure are you that this is the third Hallow?"

James grinned, knowing how excited the headmaster must be. "Well, I don't know about normal invisibility cloaks, but mine renders the wearer completely invisible – even to themself. Let me show you. Do you have a mirror in your office, sir?" Dumbledore nodded, and James continued. "Go stand in front of it,and put the cloak around your body...but not your head."

The headmaster complied, and put the cloak over his shoulders. Looking at the mirror, he gasped. "Merlin's pants! This is incredible!" He swung his arms around under the cloak. "I can't even see the air move with my arms! How in the world...Mr. Potter, I do believe you are in possession of the third Hallow. How did you come across a cloak as valuable as this?"

James and Remus stood, dumbstruck. _The headmaster. Is in awe. Of me. My cloak. The HEADMASTER!_ "It's an heirloom, sir, passed down from father to son for generations."

Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment, which was quite amusing to the boys, considering they could only see his head, and then he spoke. "This must mean you are a descendant of the Peverells as well. You are from Godric's Hollow, correct? Yes, I am most sure there is a Peverell buried in the churchyard there. Merlin, what a day. This cloak, Mr. Potter, is not something you should go parading around. Many a wizard would kill for something this valuable. You are a very lucky man."

James blushed. "Thank you, headmaster. I suppose I should thank my father as well, then. I don't mean to change the subject, but what of the ring?"

"Oh! I nearly forgot. Thank you for getting me back on track; I seem to be a bit absentminded in my old age. I thought I'd leave the decision as to when to destroy the first horcrux up to you two, as it was your research that led us here. We have two options. One is to consult the Sorting Hat now, and if able to acquire the sword, destroy the ring tonight. The other is to keep it somewhere safe, and destroy it together with the other horcruxes at a later date. What do you think?"

James and Remus, obviously excited and nervous over the prospect of a professor allowing them a decision as big as this, whispered to each other for a moment before coming to a decision. Remus spoke, for the first time since they arrived. "Sir, we've decided to consult the Sorting Hat. We have no idea how the horcrux will affect whatever or whoever it is near if we chose to store it for the time being, so it seems like a better choice to just go ahead and destroy it now, if that is alright with you."

The headmaster nodded, and began walking over to his cabinet. "Oops! I almost forgot that I still had the cloak on. My, this is an odd feeling, not seeing my own body as I move. Here you are, Mr. Potter, forgive me." He continued across the office, and removed the sorting hat from the shelf. "Now, which one of you will be speaking with the hat?"

James arose. "I will, sir." He accepted the hat from the headmaster's hands, and sat on a stool in the corner of the room. Placing the hat on his head, he prepared himself for the upcoming conversation inside of his head.

"Mr. Potter! Didn't I already sort you? That was a few years ago. Why have you put me back on?"

Even though he was prepared for it, James jumped at the voice in his head. "Mr. Sorting Hat, sir, I don't mean to intrude, but I've come to ask a favor of you. I have acquired the knowledge that you know the whereabouts of the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and was wondering if you would be kind enough to enlighten me."

"The sword of Gryffindor? Why, sure, I know where it is, but not just anyone can have it. Why do you need it? What are your intentions?"

James swallowed. This would be hard to explain. "Well, sir, I recently acquired a set of books that tell of the future. They tell the tale of my future son, and his journey to destroy Lord Voldemort, in which he was successful. I have studied these books, and have been planning out his destruction with Headmaster Dumbledore and my most intelligent friend, and we need the sword to destroy something. You see, Voldemort has created horcruxes. Five, at this point. In the books, my son used the sword to destroy one of the horcruxes, and we were hoping that we could use it as well. The only other option we know of is fiendfyre, which is extremely dangerous and hard to control. Is there any way you could help us? Our intentions are entirely honorable."

The Sorting hat was quiet for a few minutes. James sat nervously, trying not to think anything that he didn't want the hat to hear. Then, finally, it responded. "Brace yourself."

Before James even had time to consider these words, he felt a heavy object fall on his head. Seeing stars, he reached up, lifted the hat, and pulled out a sword. The sword of Godric Gryffindor. He quickly shoved the hat back on his head. "Thank you, oh thank you so much, sir. I really appreciate your assistance."

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Use it wisely, and, for Merlin's sake, rid the world of that evil man. I believe in you, and hope you will succeed." At that, the Sorting Hat fell silent.

After a few minutes, James decided it wasn't going to say anymore, and removed it, placing it on the desk. He took another look at the sword, turning it over in his hands. _It's beautiful. This was Gryffindor's sword! Merlin, what an honor. Good thing I'm a Gryffindor..._ He looked up, and remembered he wasn't alone in the room. Looking into the expectant faces of Dumbledore and Remus, he apologized. He got up, placed the Sorting Hat back on the shelf, and handed the sword to the headmaster. "Headmaster, I believe we should go somewhere safe, away from the other residents of the castle, to destroy the first horcrux. There's no knowing what will happen when we do, and I don't want to risk harming anyone else."

Dumbledore mulled it over, and then smiled. "You are a kind and intelligent man, Mr. Potter. We should head into the Forbidden Forest, I believe we shouldn't encounter anyone there. But there is one thing I'd like to do first. We need to find another person with whom to trust all of this information. Like you said, we have no idea what this horcrux will do. What if something happened to us, and we were unable to continue our project, or even to share it with someone else? This is far too important. Is there anyone else you told about any of this?"

James was taken aback. _I didn't even think about that. What if one of us gets hurt? Dumbledore WAS cursed when he tried this in the future...Frank. We should tell Frank._ "No, sir. We haven't spoken a word of this to anyone. But I _had_ decided that if I were to ask anyone else to help us later on, it would be Frank Longbottom. He's extremely intelligent, and I know he intends to apply for Auror training upon graduation. Would you be opposed to him?"

"He's the perfect person, Mr. Potter. A wise choice. In fact, Mr. Lupin, why don't you stay here while Mr. Potter and I head out to the forest? I will summon Mr. Longbottom here, and you can fill him in on everything we've discussed so far. I believe the task of destroying the first horcrux should be left to Mr. Potter, as he was the one who instigated this whole process. Would you mind?"

Remus somehow found himself relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about the destruction process so close to the full moon...what if his lycanthropy affected the horcrux, or vice versa? No, this was a very good idea. "No, sir, I wouldn't mind at all."

"Good, then. Fawkes?" A sudden flash of fire, and a phoenix appeared in the room. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, I'd like you to meet Fawkes, my phoenix." The boys just stared in awe. "Fawkes. I'd like you to take a note to Frank Longbottom, I believe you'll find him in Gryffindor tower. Thank you." And with that, he penned a quick note, attached it to Fawkes' leg, and the bird was gone in a flash of fire. "Alright then, Mr. Potter. Are you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, headmaster. Good luck with Frank, Remus. I'll help smooth things out later if you need anything."

"Thank you. And good luck to you both, as well. If you're not back in an hour, I'll inform Professor McGonagall."

"Good idea, Mr. Lupin. Well, we're off!" With a swish of his cloak, Dumbledore headed out the door of his office, with James following close behind. Remus sat back down in a chair, with a sigh, and waited for Frank to arrive.

-oOo-

Meanwhile, in Gryffindor tower, everyone jumped as a flash of fire appeared in the air, signaling the arrival of the phoenix. The entire common room went silent as they admired the bird, which made it's way over to Frank.

Sirius blanched. "That's...that's a phoenix! Merlin's pants! Those are rare! And it's carrying a letter? Who would send a letter with a PHOENIX?...Oh! Frank! I think it's for you!"

Frank had been too busy staring at the bird to notice it approaching him, let alone the letter tied to it's leg. When he heard Sirius say his name, he snapped back to his senses, and held his arms out to untie the letter. He thanked the bird, which sang a short song, and then it disappeared once again. "Beautiful, I've never heard anything like it..." He unrolled the letter, and looked at it.

_Mr. Longbottom,  
__Please come to my office as soon as you can.  
__I have a favor to ask of you.  
__No, you are not in trouble.  
__-Albus Dumbledore_

_PS – I like chocolate frogs._

Frank let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. _A meeting with the headmaster. He wants a favor? From me? Merlin. At least I'm not in trouble._ He handed the note to Sirius, said he'd be back later, and headed out the portrait hole. _Merlin, I hope this isn't bad._

-oOo-

A few minutes later, Frank found himself standing in front of the gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office. _Oh no. I don't know the password! What am I doing here? _He looked over the note again and sighed. "What the heck is that supposed to mean? He likes chocolate frogs?" With that, the gargoyles sprang aside and the door opened. _I suppose his password was chocolate frogs...odd._ He passed through the door, and stepped onto the staircase. He jumped and grabbed onto whatever he could find when it started moving. A moment later, he was at the top, and the door was slightly ajar. He put his hand on the edge of the door, and tried to peek around it. "Headmaster?" Nothing. Feeling a bit braver than usual, Frank slowly pushed the door open and entered. The first thing he saw was Remus in a chair by the desk. "Remus! What are you doing here?" He looked around. "And where is Dumbledore?"

Remus turned around quickly, startled by Frank. "Frank! I didn't hear you come in. I apologize. The headmaster is out."

Frank's face fell. "He's out? He just sent me a message – with a phoenix, no less! - saying that he wanted to see me immediately! What's going on?"

Remus just laughed. "He meant that he wanted you to come to his office to talk to **me.** Sorry for the confusion. He's out in the forest with James, doing something extremely important. Which leads to why you're here. You know those books we've been reading, and wouldn't tell you all about? And all that time we've spent together, studying? And how much James seems to have changed? Well, sit down." Frank sat, not taking his eyes off of Remus. "What I'm about to tell you – and it's a lot of information, so you'll be here awhile – is extremely important, and EXTREMELY confidential. The only people that know about this are myself, the headmaster, and James. You must not breathe a word of this to anyone. Got it?"

Frank paled. _What in Merlin's name is going on here? Dumbledore, in the forest, with James? Remus in the headmaster's office, to talk to me about something I can tell no one about? What am I getting myself into?_ "Erm, yes, Remus. But I'm just curious; why me?"

"Didn't James say that the next person he'd talk to was you? He trusts you. He values your intelligence, and loyalty. Plus, he knows you aspire to be an Auror, and we could use your skills. Remember, no one hears a word about this. If Sirius or Peter ask...say that you've been asked to do my rounds for me during the full moon, since James has his own rounds to do now that he's Head Boy."

"Alright, Remus. Go ahead, then." Remus nodded, and proceeded to tell Frank everything he and James had discussed with the headmaster.

-oOo-

The better part of an hour later, Remus was just about finished explaining everything to Frank when Dumbledore and James returned to the office, disappointment evident on their faces. Before the two boys could say anything, the headmaster spoke. "Unfortunately, boys, I think we've hit our first snag."**  
**

* * *

Posted: 2008  
Word Count: 3,238


	8. Perhaps Some Sandwiches

**Chapter 8: Perhaps Some Sandwiches**

Lily and Alice were sitting up in the head girl's dorm, talking about Alice's confession to Frank. Alice was floating on air, and Lily was just happy with her friend's contentment. She was only half-listening, though – she still wanted to snoop around in James' room. Which is why she could be found leaning her head against the door, straining her ears to try and hear any activity down in the common room. After not hearing anything for a good ten minutes, she interrupted Alice mid-sentence, and informed her they'd be going up to the head boy's room.

A minute or so later, Lily had given the password, and she and Alice were standing in the doorway to James' room. "Are you sure about this Lily?" Alice asked, "I mean, James isn't your boyfriend, or even your friend for that matter. I think he'll be a little less forgiving than Frank was if he finds out about your snooping."

"I'm positive, Al. I need to figure this out, it's been bugging me for weeks." She walked the rest of the way into the room, and stopped halfway to the bed. "If I were James Potter, where would I keep my important stuff hidden?" She tapped her finger on her chin, looking up pensively, and sighed.

While she was thinking, Alice decided to take matters into her own hands, and wandered over to the desk. She shuffled through a few papers, but didn't find anything that seemed important...until she saw a stack of books with blank covers, and blank pages inside. "Lils. Stop thinking and come over here and look at this. Blank cover, blank pages...what in the world?"

Lily walked over to where Alice was, and glanced at what she was holding. "That _is_ weird, Al. I wonder..." She stopped talking mid-sentence, having noticed a piece of parchment sticking out of one of the books. She reached across Alice, and pulled the parchment from the book. It bore only two words: RAVENCLAW'S DIADEM.

"Alice. Look at this – he's interested in Ravenclaw's diadem! I wonder if he's been looking for it, or trying to recreate it! That might be what he's been talking to Dumbledore for...if anyone could recreate an object of that significance, it'd be the headmaster. Now he HAS to tell me about it, when I show him that I found this parchment."

"You're crazy, Lils. Maybe he's just interested in learning more about it! I wouldn't do anything with it."

"But I have to! I found proof that he's up to something, and it's not even mischief…"

"Lily. You've spent the last 6 years trying to avoid James Potter; would you really want to be seen as stalking him now, after all this time?"

"Oh! Maybe you're right, Al…guess I'll have to figure out a way to get it out of him without revealing that I snooped in his room…Merlin! Listen to me! When did I ever get to be so nosy?"

Alice sighed. "Probably about the same time that James Potter started ignoring you."

"Touché…"

-oOo-

_Meanwhile, back in the Headmaster's office…_

"Oh hello there, Mr. Longbottom! Did Mr. Lupin get you up to speed with all this? Good. Well, boys, it seems the sword of Gryffindor is _not_ laced with basilisk venom, as it did not destroy the horcrux." Dumbledore sat down, and they all got to thinking. "Perhaps some sandwiches would help us think, as we seem to have forgotten about dinner." He waved his wand, and a plate of sandwiches appeared on his desk. The four men sat there together eating their dinner when, all of a sudden, Remus sat bolt upright in his chair. His amber eyes were glowing with excitement, and he swallowed and started to speak very fast.

"It was the Chamber, professor! In the books, Harry only finds the sword once he's down in the Chamber of Secrets, and then uses it to slay the basilisk. _That's_why the sword is laced with its venom! Clearly, that has yet to happen, so the sword is still just a sword!"

James' face fell. "You don't mean…"

"Very good, Mr. Lupin. It seems to me that, while it might be a dangerous task, we must find a way to enter the Chamber and slay the basilisk. How we'll enter, though, is the big puzzle." Dumbledore stood up and starting pacing in front of his desk.

Frank glanced around at the other boys, took in a big breath, and then started to talk. "Well, professor, it seems we'll have to learn Parseltongue to open the chamber, correct? At least, that's what I gathered from what Remus told me." Dumbledore nodded, and Frank continued. "Well, I can't imagine anyone knows how to speak it anymore – other than You-Know-Who, of course – so we'll have to look it up. Nothing against Sirius Black, but he does come from one of the darker magical families...might they have an ancient book on Parseltongue somewhere in their family library?"

James immediately responded. "Great idea, Frank, but there's only one problem: Sirius moved out of his parents' house over a year ago, and doesn't ever plan on going back..."

Dumbledore smiled at the two boys, and then offered, "Maybe this could be a second task for Andromeda Black, if she's willing to help us. Surely, her aunt and uncle would allow her to borrow a book from their home. Mr. Potter, would you mind please owling her to ask for her assistance? I'd be more than happy to open up my floo to her so she can discuss this in person with us."

James nodded, and made a mental note to write a note to Sirius' cousin when he got back to his dorm.

-oOo-

_A few days later..._

James made his way up to the Headmaster's office, with Remus and Frank close behind him. He had been walking out of Transfiguration that afternoon when Professor McGonagall pulled him aside and informed him that the Headmaster wanted to see them after dinner that night. "Chocolate frogs." The gargoyle slid out of their way, and they knocked on the door. After waiting for a response of "Enter!," they opened the door and walked into Dumbledore's office. Andromeda Black was already there, awaiting their arrival.

Dumbledore motioned for them to sit. "Good evening, gentlemen. Miss Black and I have been discussing our previous ideas, and would like to help us."

Andromeda rose, and went to shake each boy's hand. "I am more than happy to help you in any efforts you have to stop You-Know-Who from gaining more power. The only request I have is that you not let this get out to anyone – if my family knew of my true intentions, they would disown me, and I would be of no use to you." The boys all nodded in agreement. "Alright. Well, if you don't mind me taking my leave, I'll go to Grimmauld Place right now to see if I can find us a book."

Upon Andromeda's return, they took a look at the books she had borrowed and began figuring out a plan to get into the chamber...

-oOo-

Later that night, Lily Evans could be found pacing back and forth in her common room, ranting and raving to her best friend.

"...who am I kidding? I need to find him! I have to ask him about this! I can't just wait it out and discreetly get the information out of him"

"LILY!" Alice interrupted, "...you like him!"

Lily stopped so suddenly that she almost fell over. "I most certainly do NOT!"

And of course, as the fates would have it, James Potter took that moment to walk through the portrait hole. "Like who?"

Lily flushed a deep scarlet, and then mentally chastised herself for blushing. _I do NOT like James Potter. Alice can think what she'd like, but there's no way in the world that I'd ever like an arrogant toerag like that._

A flustered Alice stammered for a moment, before blurting out, "Witherwings! She likes Witherwings! Thinks he's adorable, she does." _Good save, Alice. That could have been awkward._

James looked back and forth from one girl to the other. "Riiiiight. Well, I'll just be going, then. Hey Evans! I could use to talk to you about something later, when you're free. Please and thank you?"Remus just chuckled at the exchange, and then followed James up the stairs to his room.

-oOo-

Lily stood there, stunned. "Wh...what just happened? Did Potter just _civilly_ ask to meet with me, and say please AND thank you? Oh Alice, you HAVE to let me find out what he's been up to! You can't let me just sit here in the dark after something like _that_ happens!"

Alice, grinning at her friend's baffled expression, waited a few moments before responding. "Lily. Clearly, something's going on; I'll agree with you on that. But if he wants to talk to you about something, in private, then maybe he plans on telling you about it anyway! I think you should just wait until you talk to him later, and then _use your good judgment._ Alright?" Lily sighed, and then nodded at Alice. "Well, I'm off. I should probably go see Frank, I haven't been spending any time with him lately due to your little...obsession..." She smirked, then continued. "Promise me you won't bombard Potter before you talk to him later?" Once Lily finally promised to be on her best behavior, Alice left for Gryffindor Tower.

For the next two hours, Lily tried her best to keep herself busy. She did homework. She dusted the common room. She even rearranged the books in her room alphabetically on the shelves. Finally, when it was nearing dinnertime, Remus came down the stairs. He smirked a little more deviously than normal, then turned to Lily. "You can stop fretting and go talk to him now, Evans, I'm headed out. I'll see you at dinner."

With a "thanks, Remus," and a quick turn, Lily led herself up the staircase on the left. One very deep breath later, she knocked on James' door. "Potter? You wanted to talk?"

-oOo-

James looked at Lily with an unusually soft expression before speaking. "In a few days time, if all goes according to plan, Remus and I...we're going to battle a basilisk." Lily's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets. "I'm only telling you all this because I know the danger involved. If anything should happen to us, I need to ask a big favor of you...but ONLY if that happens. It's also extremely important that you not mention this to anyone."

Lily just nodded, slightly dumbfounded.

"There's a stack of 7 books on my desk. Blank cover, blank pages. Use a 'finite incantatem' to make everything visible again, and read them. Then, read all the notes I have locked in the top drawer of my dresser - password is 'Prongs' - and go to Professor Dumbledore. He'll know what to do. I promise that if we make it through this unscathed, I will sit you down and explain everything. Merlin knows Remus and I could use brains like yours for this. Oh, and stop getting all soft on me, it's starting to weird me out. I liked it better when you yelled at me all the time; you're beautiful when you're angry." And with a dashing smile and a swish of his cloak, James Potter left Lily Evans sitting in his room, at a total loss for words for once in her life.

* * *

Posted: 2011  
Word Count: 1,969


	9. Good Luck, You Big Twit

_Happy Pi Day!_

_I know you can't become a Parselmouth, only born one, but I think I've found a way around that...bear with me. (And let me know what you think about my solution to that problem!) Also, I've gotten some comments about things not exactly lining up time-wise with the canon story line...I am aware. I'm doing my best to keep all the facts the same, but I **am** allowed to take a few creative liberties...this story isn't supposed to be completely canon. If it was, the whole story line wouldn't exist ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Good Luck, You Big Twit**

_He thinks I'm beautiful! ::sigh::...! SNAP OUT OF IT, EVANS! It's James Potter! Why should you care what he thinks about you? Or maybe I **do** care...? NO! No way. It's just not possible. Ugh. Apparently, I need dinner more than I thought; I could use to clear my head. _And with that, Lily left her common room and headed down to the Great Hall for dinner.

-oOo-

After sitting for awhile and searching through the books from the Black library, they finally gave up and admitted defeat. But just as Dumbledore was verbally conceding, he was struck with an idea. "It seems Parseltongue cannot be learned; one has to be born with it. As there is no one in recent memory with this skill, other than Tom Riddle, we cannot ask someone to translate for us...or can we? The dead can still have their uses in the world of the living...I think I know someone who may be able to help. Please meet me outside the girls' bathroom near the Great Hall in one hour's time." The three Gryffindors left his office, and he spent the next hour discussing the retrieval of Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket with the young Miss Black.

-oOo-

James Potter may have been a brave Gryffindor, but he was still allowed to be nervous. _Especially_ when faced with the prospect of battling a giant, ancient snake buried deep beneath the castle. So, after writing a 'just-in-case' note to his parents and Sirius, he could be found furiously pacing his common room in the hour before he was to meet the Headmaster. Five minutes before he was due to leave, Lily Evans returned to the head dormitory, and stopped short upon seeing him pacing. "Is it tonight, then?" She asked him, and he just nodded and resumed his pacing. She realized she wasn't going to get any words out of him, so she walked over to the couch and quietly sat vigil with him until he left.

A few minutes later, when James realized that Lily was just going to sit there with him, he chuckled to himself and shook his head. He strode over to the couch, pulled a confused Lily up by her hands, and smiled at her. "You're going soft on me, Evans. I thought I told you to clean up your act? Please forgive me for this, but _just in case_" And he grabbed her face and kissed her...

...and she kissed back! Until she realized who she was kissing, that is. She promptly shoved him off of her with a huff, and ran up the stairs to her room, dazed, with a "good luck, you big twit" over her shoulder. As soon as she reached her room, she flopped down onto her bed with a groan, and finally admitted defeat. _Of all the wizards in the world, why do I have to have feelings for __**James Potter**__? Ugh. Even saying it in my head sounds wrong...this is dreadful._

-oOo-

Dumbledore walked up the corridor and strode into the girls' bathroom unabashedly, with James, Remus and Frank close behind. He peered around the corner into the stalls, where he found a young-looking ghost wallowing in a toilet. "Hello Myrtle."

The ghost looked up from her tears, surprised. "Professor! This is a girls' bathroom! What are those boys doing here?"

Dumbledore just chuckled and continued, "We were hoping we could ask a favor of you, actually. Do you remember the night you died?"

Myrtle smiled, and responded, "Oh yes, like it was yesterday. It was _awwwwwwful_. Those horrid, scary eyes, and the hissing; how could I ever forget it?"

"Do you remember exactly what the hissing sounded like?" The headmaster continued.

The girl frowned. "Of course I do. It was the last thing I heard before the stones started moving, and then I died!" She proceeded to mimic the hissing sound she had heard only moments before her death, and one of the faucets in the sink opened up in response.

"Thank you, Myrtle, that was precisely what we needed. Your help has been invaluable. Mr. Longbottom will be staying out here with you until we return..."

Myrtle interruped the headmaster by swooping around towards James, batting her eyes. "Why can't _he _stay instead? I'd much prefer _that_."

"Funny, she seems to like her some Potter boys," Remus mumbled, eliciting a chuckle and a blush from James.

Dumbledore continued, informing Myrtle and Frank of what to do after he, James, and Remus entered the Chamber, and the necessary actions should they not return. He then entered the Chamber with the two boys, and they set about defeating the basilisk.

-oOo-

About three-quarters of an hour later, the trio emerged from the chamber, broom, fangs and sword in hand. "Frankie, ol' boy, we've done it! The sword is now laced with basilisk venom, and we've got the fangs, too, just in case." James was elated. They had entered the chamber, battled the basilisk and won, and made it out relatively unscathed. Their only damage had been a few scrapes and bruises when James was thrown across the chamber from the force of the giant snake's tail, and slid down the stone wall before landing unceremoniously on the floor.

"Well, gentlemen, it seems we have a horcrux to destroy. Shall we be going, then?" Dumbledore turned to Myrtle, who had taken to sulking in her toilet again. "Myrtle, my dear, thank you again for your assistance. We couldn't have succeeded without you." The forever-young former student blushed, then dove into her toilet wailing, with a big splash. "Some things never change," the headmaster laughed.

The four men left the bathroom, and went about on their way to destroying the ring.

* * *

Posted: 14 March 2011  
Word Count: 973


	10. I Give In

___Sorry the chapter's so short, I wanted to get one posted once I realized it had been about 8 months since the last one...whoops._

* * *

**Chapter 10: I Give In**

A few hours later, James trudged up to his dormitory, where he found Lily Evans distractedly attempting to do her charms homework. Her head whipped around when she heard the portrait hole open, and she let out an audible sigh of relief upon seeing that James was still in one piece. He smiled and laughed. "Missed me already, Evans?"

She huffed, and grumbled, "Just glad you're alive."

"That's a first!" James' face lit up, despite his obvious exhaustion. _I think she's finally starting to warm up to me! Could this be the start of what's to come for us?_ "Now, Evans, I do believe I made you a promise, and I intend to make good on that." He made his way to the couch and settled in on one end, motioning for her to join him.

Lily was waging an internal battle with herself. _I should go sit with him, and hear what he has to say. I'm so curious...but I'm so tempted to kiss him, now that I know he made it out unscathed! What if I can't hold back? Ugh. Curiosity killed the cat, hopefully it won't kill me..._ She slowly walked over to the couch and sat down at the other end, settling in sideways to face James as he spoke. "Alright, Potter, spill."

James immediately launched into a detailed explanation of the horcruxes and their progress and ideas relating to them so far. At Lily's insistence, he started to explain how he knew all of this. When he got to the part about his son, he faltered. "So these books were essentially the story of my future son's life during his Hogwarts years..."

"Your son?" Lily exclaimed. "...Do they say who you married?"

James sighed, and looked away from Lily's eyes. "Now, Evans, don't freak out or anything. You asked the question, you have to figure out how to deal with the answer." She nodded, and he continued after letting out another sigh. "You."

Lily's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped, as she let out a small, 'oh.' She sat, unmoving, for a few moments until the meaning of his words sunk in. She shook her head, launched herself at him with a declaration of, "I give in," and kissed him.

James, for his part, was stunned, and sat stock-still for a few seconds until his brain caught up. He immediately started kissing her back, thinking that as long as she was willing, he'd enjoy the moment.

"I'm sorry!" Lily shouted, pulling away. "I didn't mean to just throw myself at you. I've just been fighting this so hard that when you told me of our future, I just snapped."

James chuckled. "Hey, you won't find me complaining. I've been waiting for that to happen for over six years!" He winked roguishly at her before continuing. "So does this mean you'll finally agree to be my girl?"

Lily sighed. "Yes, under one condition: we take this slow. No ridiculous declarations to the entire Hogwarts population, and minimal public displays of affection," she responded. "Can you handle that?"

James nodded eagerly, with a wide grin. "Whatever you're willing to give me, Lily, I'm happy to take. Now, back to the task at hand. Your brain would be an immeasurably useful asset to this undertaking, would you like to be a part of it?"

Lily leaned back in her seat beside him and nodded. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, for starters, I think you should read through the books to get a full understanding of the situation, and hopefully find a few things we might have missed so far. Once you're done reading them, you can sit down with me, Remus, Dumbledore, and Frank, and we'll compare notes to determine our next plan of action. How does a little cuddling by the fire while we both read sound for tonight?"

Lily blushed, and let out a light giggle. "Oh, alright, I suppose I can deal with that. You go get your reading material, and the first of the books for me, and I'll get the fire going."

James ran up the stairs, grabbed his Advanced Arithmancy textbook and the book for Lily, and then ran back down to the common room. He sat himself down on one end of the couch, and patted the seat next to him. "C'mere, Lily."

She padded her way over to him hesitantly, and gingerly sat beside him. She wasn't sure how to go about this; she'd spent so many years keeping him away from herself that she didn't know how to let herself get close to him. Luckily for her, he had no qualms about getting close to her. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her to sit sideways and lean against him as his arm rested across her waist. He handed her the book, and opened his own up to start reading.

About an hour passed with only the sounds of quiet breathing, pages turning, and the crackling of the fire. James paused in his reading and leaned over to kiss Lily on the cheek. "I'm so glad I finally have you, Lily. I promise you won't regret this." She smiled and squeezed his hand with her free one, snuggling herself deeper into his hold.

* * *

Posted: 21 November 2011  
Word Count: 901


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